Cloning, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of MCAT from Synechocystis sp PCC 6803

Malonyl-coenzymeA:acyl-carrier protein transacylase (MCAT), which catalyzes the transfer of the malonyl group from malonyl-CoA to acyl-carrier protein (ACP), is an essential enzyme in type II fatty-acid synthesis. The enzyme MCAT from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (spMCAT), the first MCAT counterpart from a cyanobacterium, was cloned, purified and crystallized in order to determine its three-dimensional crystal structure. A higher-quality crystal with better diffraction was obtained by crystallization optimization. The crystal diffracted to 1.8 angstrom resolution and belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 43.22, b = 149.21, c = 40.59 angstrom. Matthews coefficient calculations indicated that the crystal contained one spMCAT molecule in the asymmetric unit with a Matthews coefficient of 2.18 angstrom(3) Da(-1) and a solvent content of 43.65%.